Two years after the Asian tsunami: thousands still suffering in India

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu alone, where 8,005 people were killed, 3,551 injured and 487,185 evacuated, tens of thousands are still without permanent houses. Many are living in shelters built by non-government organisations. On the remote Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, where about 3,500 people were killed, more than 9,700 families are still without proper shelter. They live in temporary homes of corrugated iron sheets, under the often-unbearable heat of the tropical sun.

According to United Nations, World Bank and Asian Development Bank reports published this month, across the tsunami-affected areas of India, just 28 percent of the needed 98,477 houses have been built. In the Andaman and Nicobar islands, less than 1 percent of the 9,714 homes required have been completed.

The Congress-led national government and successive state governments in Tamil Nadu have ignored the pressing needs of tsunami survivors. The current Tamil Nadu government has stopped relief aid. In Nagapattinam, one of the worst hit areas of Tamil Nadu, local official Tenkasi Jawahar said 6,000 houses had been completed, leaving around 8,000 families still in temporary shelters. He hoped they would be housed by March.

More
http://wsws.org/articles/2006/dec2006/indi-d29.shtml